W126 front suspension rebuild
This week my 560SEC was in having the front suspension rebuilt. I’ve been thinking about doing this for a while, and knew it was time during my last oil change when I saw the condition of the ball joints on the front suspension. I also had a vibration through the steering wheel when parking that I thought may have been related.
Unlike when I did this job on the 560SEL back in 2021, the genuine upper control arms are now NLA. This this job is all labour time, I was quite deliberate with the parts I chose. I would have used the genuine upper control arms had they been available. Since they were not, I went with TRW.
The parts I ordered from Pelican Parts were as follows:
- Upper control arm – left: 126 330 06 07 (TRW)
- Upper control arm – right: 126 330 07 07 (TRW)
- Lower control arm ball joint x2: 116 333 09 27 (Genuine)
- Control arm bushing (upper outer) x2: 116 333 40 14 (Rein)
- Control arm bushing kit (lower outer) x2: 123 330 14 75 (Febi)
- Control arm Bushing kit: 126 330 00 75 (Lemforder)
- Front Shocks: 126 330 08 30 (Bilstein B4)
However, when I got them, I found they had substituted 116 333 40 14 and 123 330 14 75 with Uro parts and not told me. Uro is not a brand I will use unless I have no other choice, so I had to order those parts again from another supplier! This is hugely frustrating as Pelican could have notified me of this.
The feedback I had from the job was that these parts had been on the car for a long time, certainly during its time in the UK. From the outside they looked ok, but the various bushes were corroded internally. As the car was imported between 2004 and 2005, they were well due to be changed.
The car also needed a wheel bearing along the way. The front suspension feels a whole lot better, although I am still getting that vibration during steering, which must be related to something else.
